Daily Archives: June 11, 2011

Thursday, June 23, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Nantucket Open Days Program Garden Tour

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The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program returns to Nantucket on Thursday, June 23, featuring four private gardens open to the public, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to each private garden is $5, Open Days are rain or shine, and no reservations are required. Call 1-888-842-2442, or visit www.opendaysprogram.org for more information.

The Doubleday Garden (28 Easton Street) is a quintessential summer garden, featuring stone walls and a rose border, a mixed border of choice annuals, perennials and shrubs, a rose arbor that overflows with a mixed palette of color, plentiful window boxes and flower pots on the waterside deck, with views of downtown Nantucket, its harbor and coastline. The Garden at 186 Cliff Road contains a variety of garden rooms, including a formal rose-and-boxwood parterre, a deer-resistant perennial bed in yellows, blues, whites, and pinks, a small courtyard with a water feature, and a vegetable garden. At Cliffmoor (102 Cliff Road), large masses of perennials give the whole landscape a serene feel, while a sunken vegetable garden is flanked by productive espaliered apples and a grape arbor on opposing sides. The Hallowell/Langer Garden (15 Trotts Hills Road) features a dramatic stone wall and is planted with proven favorites and interspersed with rare and unusual perennials the owner collects from specialty nurseries.  Photo below from Nantucket Lawn & Garden.

These Open Days gardens are featured in the 2011 Open Days Directory; a soft-cover book that includes detailed driving directions and vivid descriptions written by their owners. The directory includes garden listings in eighteen states and costs $21.95 including shipping. Visit www.opendaysprogram.org or call the Garden Conservancy toll-free at 1-888-842-2442 to order with a Visa, MasterCard or American Express, or send a check or money order to: the Garden Conservancy, P.O. Box 219, Cold Spring, NY 10516. Discount admission tickets are available as well through advanced mail order.

The 2011 Open Days program is generously sponsored by Fine Gardening magazine as its National Media Sponsor. Fine Gardening magazine brings you breathtaking design ideas, helpful techniques, and the know-how to get great results in your own garden.

The Garden Conservancy introduced the Open Days program in 1995 as a means of introducing the public to gardening, providing easy access to outstanding examples of design and horticultural practice, and proving that exceptional American gardens are still being created. The Open Days program is America’s only national private garden-visiting program, and is made possible by the work of hundreds of volunteers nationwide.

Sunday, June 12, 11:30 am – 3:30 pm – Dover Library House and Garden Tour

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The Friends of the Dover Library are pleased to announce the Dover Library House Tour will be held on Sunday, June 12th, from 11:30 – 3:30 pm. Several exciting changes have been made to this popular event in order to offer patrons something different each year. This year, the Tour moves to the Spring to become the Dover Library House and Garden Tour. In addition to presenting three of Dover’s finest homes, the tour will now showcase three of Dover’s most distinguished private gardens. There are six separate venues in all.

Two of the homes are beautiful antique farmhouses which celebrate Dover’s rich agricultural past. Indeed, one of the properties dates back to the town’s earliest settlements of 1640. The third home is a newly-constructed contemporary shingle-style house with grand living spaces.

At each house, guests will sample gourmet fare from Dessert Works, Dover Market, and Sherborn Inn. The homes will be splendidly decorated by the floral experts of Chicatabot Garden Club, Dover Garden Club, Perennial Designs and Powisset Garden Club.

The three gardens are destinations in themselves. One is found along the banks of the Charles River and features a stone terrace, rose, grass, and shrub gardens which gently slope down to the water’s edge. The second garden is located on a pond with a wonderful rill and a unique sunken garden with raised beds of flowers, vegetables, and herbs. The third is an ever-changing woodland garden created by its owner, a noted landscape designer, which includes works of sculpture, a Tuscan courtyard, ceremonial fire pit, and water features.

This year, they will also be holding a special raffle on the day of the tour, with many items for the home and garden, as well as gift certificates from local stores, salons and restaurants. For more information, log on to www.friendsofdoverlibrary.com.

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Arnold Arboretum Interpreter Training

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Expand your knowledge of the Arnold Arboretum and share your passion for plants with others.  Arboretum Interpreters will be trained to talk knowledgeably about the Arboretum and plants.  In addition to training on Arboretum history, plant terminology, and the landscape, volunteers will learn interpretive techniques to effectively engage with visitors of all ages.  As an Arboretum Interpreter, you will have casual interactions and conversations with visitors, one-on-one or in small groups.  You’ll help people find their way through the landscape, explore the fascinating world of plants, communicate how the Arboretum is a living museum, and make Arboretum history come alive.  Fall 2011 training will be held at the Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway in Boston,  and there is no no fee.  Punctuality and attendance at every session, as well as commitment to the program, are very important.  The training will be held on three Tuesdays and two Saturdays in September:

Saturdays, September 10 and 17, 10 am – 3 pm

Tuesdays, September 13, 20 and 27,  6 pm – 8:30 pm

The Arboretum Interpreter program is a partnership: you provide your time, commitment and enthusiasm, and the Arnold Arboretum provides rich resources, experienced staff, and special benefits for volunteers.  It is also a wonderful opportunity for self-growth and for reaching out to Arboretum visitors to communicate the importance of plants in our lives.  An application form may be found at www.arboretum.harvard.edu (click on Get Involved, then click on Volunteer.)  After receipt of your application, a staff member will contact you.  An interview will then be scheduled.